Don’t Snooze on SalesPet beds and furniture is a robust category with pricing options that make it easy forconsumers to give their pet some extra comfort while keeping their homes stylish.

BY HILARY DANINHIRSCH

Both manufacturers and pet specialty retailers say that consumer demand for dog and cat beds and furniture is high, and pet owners want products that are similar to their own styles. “When it comes to furniture, [pet owners] are looking for options that offer different colors
and designs to fit each and every consumer’s home,” said Steve Luhrs, senior vice president of sales
and marketing for New Age Pet, a brand of Pinta International in Hayward, Calif.

At All Pets Considered in Greensboro, N.C., general manager Alison Schwartz said that higher-end
brands do well, such as Bowsers Pet Products’ beds, as well as K&H Pet Products’ items for cats and
Vesper cat towers from the Hagen Group.

“These brands have modern styles that complement home décor,” she said.

Beds and furniture are also consistently strong sellers at West Lebanon Feed & Supply in West
Lebanon, N.H.

“Most pet owners are generous when it comes to the needs of their furry family members and
usually identify pet preferences as being similar to their own,” said vice president of marketing and
business development Ira Richards.

Consumers make their buying decisions based on style, perceived comfort and general utility,
and, as such, West Lebanon Feed & Supply carries a wide variety of styles, Richards added.

Spencer Williams, owner and CEO of West Paw in Bozeman, Mont., noted several trends.

“The current demand for cat and dog beds is centered on three things: durability of fabric, environmentally friendly materials and washability,” Williams said.

Susanna Vogel, founder of Salzburg, Austria-based Miut, said that there is a demand for products that enable cats to use vertical space to extend their territory.

“Around 85 percent of the 76.5 million cats in the USA are strictly indoor cats,” she said. “Theyneed activities or areas where they can release pent-up energy.”Many cat owners recognize the need to provide cats with their own space. In a recent survey bymarket research firm Wakefield Research, an average of 59 percent of owners across generationscited giving cats a space of their own as a primary driver in the purchase of cat furniture. Comfortfollows closely behind, at 57 percent across age groups.

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WHERE ARE PET OWNERS SHOPPING?

For dog beds, big-box retailers are still popular,
but pet boutiques and online retailers are gaining
ground, especially among millennial dog owners,
according to market research firm Wakefield
Research.

Approximately half of dog owners purchased their
dog beds at a big-box retailer, such as Walmart or
Costco, or a big-box pet specialty store, such as
PetSmart or Petland.

37% of millennial dog owners purchased their dog
beds online, compared to 25% of gen Xers and 24%
of boomers. Millennial dog owners are also nearly
twice as likely (26%) to go to an independent pet
boutique for dog beds than are gen Xers (13%) and
boomers (14%).

Source: Wakefield Research 2018 survey of 1,002 U.S. pet owners on their
pet bed and furniture preferences and buying habits